rules

Article I

League Overview

1.1 Soverein League is a casual-organized hybrid basketball league — structured enough to feel official, relaxed enough to stay fun

1.2 Games are held every Wednesday and Friday, with 2 games per day

1.3 Each team must have 6-8 players on their roster at all times

1.4 A minimum of 5 players must be present to avoid a forfeit

1.5 A full redraft is conducted at the start of every new season. All players re-enter the draft pool regardless of their previous team, unless designated as Untouchable by their team prior to the redraft. Teams retain no players by default — all roster continuity must be earned through the Untouchable system

1.6 Any team may actively manage their roster throughout the season. This includes initiating trades with other teams, waiving players, participating in mid-season drafts for newly registered players, and bidding on free agents. All mid-season roster activity is subject to the fees and procedures

1.7 The league is governed by a Commissioner whose decisions are final on all disputes, trades, and league operations

Article II

Fees & Prize Structure

Technical Foul Fine - ₱100
Trade Fee - ₱100 per player/pick (can be spilt by teams/players involved)
Waiver Fee - ₱100
Untouchable - ₱150 / player
Free Agent Bid - ₱100 minimum (highest bid wins)

Prize Distribution

—Commissioner fee: 20% of total prize pot is retained by the Commissioner for league operations

🏆Champion (1st place): TBD

🥈Runner-up (2nd place): Trophy and official league recognition

🥉3rd place: Medal and official league recognition

Article III

Draft & Player Movement

Pre-season Draft

3.1 A draft is held before each season. All registered players enter the draft pool

3.2 Draft order is determined by reverse standings — the weakest team from the previous season picks first. Season 1 draft order is determined by lottery

3.3 Players have no say in which team drafts them. Coordinating with a team to influence draft placement is prohibited

Mid-Season Player Additions

3.4 New players who register mid-season pay a ₱250 registration fee and enter a random draw

3.5 The draw is conducted publicly in the official group chat using a random picker. All teams are eligible

3.6 The drawn team must accept the player. Declining is not permitted. If a team does not want the player, they must trade or waive him— fee applies

3.7 The team has to either field the player on their next game, complete a trade or waive the player before the Commissioner intervenes

Trades

3.8 Any two teams may propose a trade. Both teams must agree and the trade must be approved by the Commissioner before it is processed

3.9 Trade fee is ₱100 per player/pick, payment can be split by teams/players involved. The initiating team is responsible for coordinating payment before the Commissioner approves

3.10 The Commissioner may void any trade suspected of collusion or designed primarily to circumvent league fees. Involved teams may be fined or suspended from future transactions

Waive

3.11 A player may be waived either by their team or upon the player's own request. A waiver fee of ₱100 applies in both cases, paid by whoever initiates the waiver — the team if they cut the player, or the player if they request to be waived. Waived players immediately enter the free agency pool and are subject to the bidding process

Free Agency

3.11 A player becomes a free agent when: (a) they request to leave their team and no team is willing to trade for them, or (b) their team cuts them

3.12 The Commissioner announces the free agent in the group chat. Teams have 48 hours to submit private bids. Minimum bid is ₱100. Highest bid wins — proceeds go to the Commissioner

3.13 If no team bids, a random draw assigns the player to a team. That team may trade him if unwanted (trade fee applies)

Untouchables (Pre-Season Protection)

3.14 Before each new season's redraft, teams may pay ₱150 per player to mark them as Untouchable — they skip the redraft and remain on the team

3.15 There is no cap on how many players a team can protect, provided the total number of protected players does not exceed the maximum roster size of 8

3.16 Protection must be declared and paid before the redraft date. Late declarations are not accepted

3.17 Protection lasts one season only. Teams must re-pay each season to maintain protection

Article IV

Game Rules

4.1 Games consists of 4 quarters of 10 minutes each. Running time clock, stopped only during timeout. Overtime is 5 minutes

4.2 A team must field a minimum of 5 players to start. Failure to field 5 within 10 minutes of scheduled tip-off is a forfeit

4.3 Before each game, both teams must agree on jersey colors — one team wears Monochrome (all black or all white) and the other wears Color (any colors). Agreement must be reached before game day

4.4 A technical foul carries a ₱100 fine. Two technical fouls in a single game results in ejection

Article V

All-Star Week

Overview

5.1 All-Star Week is held at the midpoint of the season, replacing that week's regular season games

5.2 All-Stars are selected through a hybrid system — fan/player vote combined with Commissioner picks, based on first-half stats and standout performances

5.3 All-Star Week does not count toward regular season standings. Stats from events are tracked separately

Events

★Rookie-Sophomore Game

★Skills Challenge

★3-Point Contest

★All-Star Game

Article Vi

End-of-Season Awards

Team Awards

🏆Championship Trophy

🥈Runners-Up Trophy

🥉3rd Place Medal

Individual Awards

★Most Valuable Player

★Rookie of the Season

★Defensive Player of the Season

★Most Improved Player

★Sixth Man of the Season

★Captain of the Season

★Scoring Champion

★Sportsmanship Award

★Mythical 5

Article VIi

Commissioner Authority

7.1 The Commissioner oversees all league operations, approves all trades, manages draws, and resolves disputes. Commissioner decisions are final

7.2 The Commissioner may issue warnings, fines, or suspensions for unsportsmanlike conduct, repeated rule violations, or collusion